


The Ocean Filled the Crater

by CardiganVixen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, BB-8 is a sassy droid, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, F/M, First Kiss, I love writing heated arguments, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Space virgins apply
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-17 09:26:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16092785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardiganVixen/pseuds/CardiganVixen
Summary: Ben and Rey search for purpose. Their search leads them first to Scarif, then to each other, in an unexpected way.--Rey felt the weight of his hand in hers, observing the sparkle of tears in his eyes. Even now, she wanted to take his pain from him, as she had wished for him to take hers that day on the Supremacy. Now she knew better. It was a burden they both had to bear. She wished she could hate him or at least be indifferent. It was too late for that.“You won’t end up with nothing Ben. We can make something together. I believe that,” Rey said and before she could talk herself out of it stood on her tiptoes to plant a tender kiss on his plush mouth.--





	The Ocean Filled the Crater

“Rey, can you hear me?” The crackle of the comm unit made Rey jump in the small pilot seat. She went to respond but stopped herself. She checked her coordinates as the mottled blue flash of hyperspace went by. She was almost there.

Rey heard the inquisitive chirps of Beebee-Ate and tried not to feel guilty. She hadn’t wanted to take take any droid on the X-Wing she borrowed to make this trip, it would have meant taking a detour to the droid charging station and drawing unwanted attention. Beebee had been wandering the shipyard when he came upon her examining the controls on a blue and white T-70. Rey had tried to explain why it would be better for her to go alone but he plied her with extensive lists of diagnostic and critical errors that could befall an X-Wing without a droid unit to assist until she realized it was either take him or risk him alerting the whole base out of concern for her.

She was grateful for his stubbornness. She hadn’t thought about evading sensors or being tracked by the rest of the Resistance fleet. Beebee had more than enough experience sneaking around undetected. He was an unusual little droid.

“No response Beebee, we’ll be back in no time,” she said. 

“Rey,” Finn said again. “Just tell us where you are.”

He had every right to be worried. The First Order had bounties on all prominent Resistance members and even offered rewards for any sightings of the Falcon.

But Finn didn’t know she lay awake every night, knots coiled in her stomach like old cabling. He didn’t know how heavy the world felt when General Organa gave you that look. The look that said “You’re a leader now. You’re carrying on Luke Skywalker’s legacy.” He didn’t know about the other reason, the one she was still denying even to herself.

“No response Beebee.” She said again and flipped the switch on the com unit.

****

Rey had made up her mind to go as soon as Leia told her about Scarif. 

The Resistance had found safe haven on Lothal, an old Imperial manufacturing planet that had been liberated before the end of the Empire. Even the First Order had given it a wide berth, infamous stories of the protectors of Lothal warning them it was more trouble than it was worth to occupy the planet. To protect the people of Lothal, the Resistance stayed on the outskirts of the city at the insistence of a Mandalorian warrior named Sabine Wren. She had taken them in and gave them food and shelter. Rey had never seen a Mandalorian up close, only a few had ever stopped on Jakku. Rey couldn’t help but stare with wide eyes at her colorful armor, painted with various animals and symbols. Sabine’s eyes were sharp and clear, even with the years upon her. Leia had embraced Sabine like an old friend. A chill ran up Rey’s back at seeing two great Rebellion leaders side by side.

Once settled there was little to do but wait and gather supplies for the fight to come. Leia had entertained Rey with tales of her Rebellion days. She had been more than a willing ear, each story of Rebel soldiers risking it all to defeat the evil of the Empire helped Rey feel a sense of purpose. After Crait, Rey had been willing to surrender herself to the will of the Force-- but the Force moved slowly.

Everyone around her seemed to know their role, even Finn who had been as rudderless as her at one point. Everyone had daily missions, gathering fuel, reaching out to allies through the encrypted holo-net channels for news on First Order movement, finding the funds to buy more ships and replenish the battered Resistance fleet.

Rey assisted as much as she could, repairing damaged equipment and going on supply runs, but she didn’t have the connections to the Resistance and their sympathizers like Poe and Leia, she didn’t have the tactical knowledge of the First Order like Finn, and she wasn’t like Rose, a part of the Resistance since she was a child after being victimized by the First Order.

She was the girl who found a droid in the middle of the desert. 

And now everyone looked to her with her broken lightsaber as the savior of them all, the legacy of Luke, the Jedi who had taken on an entire First Order fleet to save the last of the Resistance.

Leia didn’t like to tell Rey stories about her adventures with Luke and Han, the memories seemed to get stuck in her throat when she tried to voice them. Instead, she told Rey about the rebels of Scarif. They had disobeyed direct orders from Rebellion leaders to retrieve the plans to the Death Star, the Empire weapon that had destroyed Leia’s homeworld. A dozen or so humans and one droid, all volunteers, did something that was thought impossible. That night Rey lay awake, whispering the names of the dead Rebels. Cassian Andor. Baze Malbus. Chirrut îmwe. Bodhi Rook. Jyn Erso. What had their stories been? Why did they feel compelled to give their lives? Rey willed the Force to give her direction, show her a path to follow.

She hadn’t told anyone about Ben. In the chaos of these last few weeks, no one had asked. Not even Leia, even though Rey knew from her pointed looks she had questions. They would eventually. Everyone would want to know what Luke had taught her, everyone would want to know why Snoke was missing in action and Kylo Ren was the new Supreme Leader. She had waited to see if the HoloNet would break the news, everyone already assuming that Snoke had died when the Supremacy had split in two. But nothing had been confirmed. The First Order seemed to have suppressed the news in an attempt to keep up a strong front to the galaxy. Members of the Resistance argued amongst themselves as to whether Snoke was truly gone or just lying in wait. Anything she said could give her away or start an interrogation. She couldn’t handle it, not yet. Not when she had no idea what she would say when they asked her the inevitable question:

Why didn’t you kill Kylo Ren?

Somehow she didn’t think ‘Because it was the will of the Force’ would be enough for someone like Poe or even Finn.

Not killing him had put her at risk again. Whatever happened she would have to be the one to face him, she was the only one that was strong enough to stand against him.

She didn’t know if she was ready to die for this if that is what she had to do. She didn’t know if she was ready to kill him.

“Damn it, Ben,” she said to herself. Just saying his name sent a jolt to her stomach. She almost feared to say it, as if he would appear out of thin air. She definitely wasn’t ready for that. Sitting up, the tiredness flushed from her body and a jangly energy coursed through her in its place. Her mind raced as she formed her plan. Since the destruction of the Imperial databank, Scarif lay abandoned in the outer regions. She just needed a sign. No one would be tracking her in that space, not even the First Order. How far was Scarif from Lothal anyway...

***

Rey dropped out of hyperspace and cried out as a chunk of twisted metal clanged against the nose of the X-Wing, veering the ship off course into a spin. She grabbed the steering and grunted with effort as she got control of the ship, managing to avoid hitting another stream of debris. She wove the ship back and forth, trying to get her bearings.

Beebee-Ate’s anxious chirps and hoots sounded over the comm.

“I know Beebee, it’s everywhere! How’s the ship?”

Beebee chirped diagnostics at Rey so fast, she was glad that the X-Wing had a droid translator. When the words ‘sensor array’ flashed across the screen, Rey cursed. She looked out the window of the X-Wing and saw a shimmering blue planet behind the scattering of debris that circled it.

“Beebee, we made it! It’s Scarif.” Rey said.

Beebee responded.

“Yes, I know. We have to get down to the surface, find someplace to fix it.”

Beebee-Ate pulled up some old geo-mapping for Scarif that predated the end of the Empire, but without the sensor array, they wouldn’t get very far. Rey looked at the last bit of data provided, trying to match it up with the planet outside.

“Beebee look! I think that’s the old shield gate,” Rey said spying a massive piece of semi-circular space junk. “The Imperial outpost must be down below.”

 _As long as the blast from the Death Star didn’t knock everything a few thousand miles from where it used to be_ , she thought. A piece of equipment that big wouldn’t hurtle along like the rest this junk, or at least that’s what she hoped. She didn’t really know.

Beebee made a worried sound as if he had read her mind.

“Don’t worry Beebee, I can do this, I’ll get us past the debris field and then we can see where we end up,” Rey said with confidence she didn’t feel.

Beebee gave her a skeptical chirp.

“Thanks for believing in me.” Rey snarked back. “Just do what you can to make sure we don’t fall out of the sky or explode.”

She grabbed the steering and revved the thrusters. Rey closed her eyes and took a deep breath, remembering all her hours spent with that run down flight simulator. She also recalled Luke, his warm hand on hers: _Breathe_ , he had said. She felt the familiar rush of energy as the world around her shrank. _Get past the debris to planetfall_ , she thought.

Rey began to steer the ship through the debris field allowing her senses to guide her, using the Force to enhance her instinct. The smaller pieces glanced off the X-Wing’s surface, but the bigger ones she maneuvered around, pulling left and right, up and down, avoiding collisions split seconds before they could come crashing into the engines or wingtips. Beebee squealed with each close call, but Rey didn’t let it distract her, moving the ship this way and that. Rey came upon a patch of space clear of debris and punched the thrusters.

“This is it Beebee!” she cried. “Can you tell me anything?” They were pushing through the atmosphere, the black of space shifting to a brilliant and sunny blue sky. Pieces of debris burned up around the ship as they fell from their orbit around the planet.

Beebee, whistling, told Rey that based on the map there should be a trail of inlets approaching for them to land.

“Alright Beebee-Ate, let’s do this-- oh damn!” Rey cried as something crashed into one of the X-Wing’s engines, the small explosion rocking the ship off its axis. She fought to control the ship as it hurtled towards the endless ocean. She yanked on the steering and pulled up, the remaining functioning engines protesting in the new heavier atmosphere. Thick smoke billowed out from behind the X-Wing. Beebee berated her with a series of unflattering phrases about her piloting skills making dramatic declarations about the state of the X-Wing.

“Oy, that was rude! It’s not my fault there’s garbage everywhere!”

Beebee chirped that they should find land straight away, or else the X-Wing was going to be totally out of commission.

“But there’s no land here Beebee, just water.” She tilted the ship a bit to get a better look, grimacing at the angry noises coming from the T-70. There was nothing, just a beautiful clear turquoise ocean shimmering in the rays of the sun. She could see the ocean floor, tan sand shadowed with ripples from the waves. Since leaving Jakku, each planet she had visited showed her just how small her world had been for so long. Even in this moment, she couldn’t help but marvel. 

A large circular shadow on the ocean floor caught her eye, she could make out a ragged edging of rock surrounding it. It looked like a hole in the middle of the sea.

“Beebee, does the map say anything about a large trench or cave on the ocean floor?” Damn, they might be miles off course.

Beebee beeped back that he couldn’t see anything like that on the map.

Rey’s mouth dropped open in an ‘o’, realizing what it was. An impact crater, right by the shield gate, right by where the Imperial outpost should have been.

“That must be the blast impact from the Death Star!” she exclaimed.

She flew down, hoping to get a better view and spot somewhere to land. This was going to be a very short and terrible trip if they had nowhere to repair the T-70. Once she was closer, she could see the sharp decline of the impact crater on the ocean floor. It was a dark, inky blue, a stark contrast from the shallow clear water surrounding it. Rey shivered. It was amazing the blast hadn’t gone right through the planet. Rey observed how the sand rippled out from the crater. _The blast radius must have sheared the water away for miles_ , she thought, probably exposing the land underneath for the first time in ages. But the ocean had filled the crater, now it was just part of the landscape.

Beebee-Ate took Rey out of her thoughts by alerting her to some land that he saw a couple miles away spotted by his internal scope.

“Are you sure?” Rey asked.

Beebee chirped in the affirmative.

“Alright Beebee, I’ve got faith in you.” Rey steered the damaged ship in the direction of Beebee’s coordinates.

****

Kylo woke to find that he had fallen asleep at his desk with his datapad. Again. He wiped his mouth and yawned. He checked his chrono, it was the middle of the night.

He got up and went to the fresher, splashing cool water on himself. He watched the water drip down his face in the mirror, the rivulets catching on his scar as they ran down to his chin and fell to the metal sink. He grabbed a towel and scrubbed his face dry.

He was struggling to adjust to the silence in his head. For so long, Snoke had always been there, just a whisper away. And now the girl, Rey, another intrusion…

He wondered if she had found a way to cut the bond off completely. She had severed it that day on Crait. He remembered her face, the cold expression. He had been so assured of her disdain for a moment, it was almost a comfort. The moment had passed. Now he found only a confusing jumble of thoughts about what it all meant.

Crait. Luke. Rey. That day hadn’t left his mind. He knew that to Hux, he had failed-- failed to eradicate the Resistance and end this distracting conflict so they could focus on the goal of a new galactic order, the one thing he and Hux had in common. Failure bred weakness and weakness chaos.

Kylo wanted to be rid of Hux, but he knew he needed his army. In an effort to placate Hux, Kylo had promoted him to Grand Admiral and essentially left him in charge, as long as he got detailed reports of all decisions that he could veto at any time. Hux knew it was a leash, but a leash he could accept, and he had quickly learned how to manipulate it. Every task that was included in running a military and organization of this size was recorded down to tedium. Kylo now had files and files of reports waiting for him to review. He had been vigilant at first, but quickly found the task burdensome. He knew it was a diversionary tactic, he knew Hux was working to undermine his rule, but he could barely make himself care.

He felt rudderless. _I suppose I should have heeded your words when you described leadership as a grind, mother_ , he thought. Everything had felt so clear aboard the Supremacy. Kill the past. Start a new order. But he hadn’t imagined doing it alone.

He grabbed his datapad with an angry grunt and flopped back in his chair. He opened the file he was reviewing. Instead of Hux’s daily reports, he had taken to reading archives from the era of the Galactic Empire, their battles and their defeats. Kylo told himself he was doing the right thing as a leader and a tactician, examining the weaknesses of the past to find strength for the battles to come.

He had reached the Battle of Scarif. Once the home to a vital Imperial base, it had been destroyed in a desperate attempt to prevent the Rebels from stealing the plans to the Death Star. It hadn’t worked and became a pillar in the Empire’s eventual defeat. Kylo read over the official reports but didn’t need to. This battle was familiar to him, he had heard it as a boy from his mother, one of her many stories about brave Rebels and their selfless sacrifice to the cause. His mother’s entire world had changed because of Scarif. Without the Rebel’s victory, she would never have been taken by his grandfather, never met his uncle, never met his father. The history of the galaxy had changed due to this one defeat. If there was one thing his mother had taught him, it was never to underestimate the ability of zealots to rally back from the brink of extinction, especially the kind that made up the Resistance. 

Rey was alive.

With her was an undetermined number of Resistance members. He was now confident his mother was there. FN-2187, the deserter. Probably the arrogant pilot Poe Dameron. They had more lives than a Loth-cat.

Kylo put the datapad down and gripped the table, his fingertips digging into the cold metal. His heart and mind raced, his cheeks felt hot. Even without his Master’s presence, he could still hear his voice. Mocking him and his weakness.

“See you ‘round, kid.”

****  
Beebee-Ate had pulled through. Rey spotted a decent sized sandy islet just where he had said, several miles from the impact crater. Passing half submerged AT-ATs and downed war crafts she saw a landing pad and a covered loading dock and brought the T-70 down. The landing was rough, the missing engine power causing the ship to wobble. It touched down with a metallic clunk. Rey hopped out, landing on the ground with a grunt. Beebee landed with a hollow thud as he left his droid port, chirping and rolling over to the side of the ship to look at the damage.

Rey missed the Falcon. She didn’t understand why Poe preferred the cramped quarters of an X-Wing. The Falcon could take a good beating and keep flying. This damn thing gets hit by a rock and almost blows her apart. Brushing the dirt off her knees she looked around, trying to get her bearings. She could see the shore not far from the landing pad. Everything was half covered in sand, years of neglect and nature taking their toll. Tall thin trees bursting into large broad leaves at their tops grew scattershot across the inlet. Broken equipment lay scattered on the shore. Rey frowned, observing scorch marks and pieces of scrap melded together in melted heaps. Some of the trees looked like they had been sliced in half or splintered by falling wreckage. She looked up. The sky was glittering with falling battle debris as it burned up in the atmosphere.

“Beebee, we should get to work.”

Beebee enthusiastically agreed. Walking to the nose of the T-70, she could see that it had taken a nice ugly hit. She went to check on the engine. From what Rey could see on the outside, the retro thruster had been damaged, but the engine itself did not look wholly irredeemable. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“That was lucky,” she said to Beebee.

There was a small supply of spare parts and tools stored in the X-Wing. She would let Beebee finish his inspection before she got started.

Rey examined the loading dock, it looked big enough to house the ship, Beebee, and herself if needed. The doors were closed and the controls rusted from exposure and age. Lovely, she thought. 

She reached her hand out, concentrating her energy on the sliding doors, willing them to open. The metal groaned and parted slightly. Beads of sweat pooled on her forehead as she worked. Why was this so hard? Pushing harder, the groaning of the metal grew louder, but she made little progress. Flustered and damp from sweat, she released the Force with a frustrated grunt. The doors slammed shut. Panting, she tried to make sense of why she had failed. Perhaps there was something in the door track?

Walking back to the T-70 and Beebee, an empty feeling settled in her stomach. Rey didn’t know what she had expected, perhaps a sense of connection to the lives that had been sacrificed in this place. Maybe if she could see some evidence of the Rebels left behind. Instead, it felt like another Jakku, with nicer weather. A beautiful graveyard, but a graveyard nonetheless. Why had she come here? Why had she worried Finn and Leia and everyone else for this?

“This is all there is Beebee. Just sand and junk. And a big hole in the ocean.” Rey said. Beebee gave a curious chirp in response.

“I don’t know, I thought there would be more.”

Beebee chirped a short reply.

“Yeah, it does remind me of Jakku, at least all the salvage does. All this water is nice, could have used that in the desert. How’s the sensor array?”

Beebee advised her that he could repair the array but she would have to replace the missing piece of the X-Wing’s nose.

“Well, for the nose I’m sure we can find something lying around--”

The sounds of the ocean waves and Beebee-Ate chirping suggestions for replacement covering dissipated. She heard deep breathing. Rey’s heart beat erratically, the sound echoing in her ears. Gulping in a lungful of air she whirled around.

There he was. Sitting, staring at her with the same disbelief she was sure mirrored her own. Overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions racing through her mind it felt like she was caught in a storm. He was clad in his signature black, hair tousled, his hands bare. This time, she could see his surroundings, a small circular window to his world framing him. There was a metal desk to his right. The rest was out of focus.

“How,” she blurted out, but that was not the important question. “Why--” No, she didn't want the answer to that. “Can you see where I am?” she asked, settling on the question that would aid with her self-preservation. She didn’t fancy facing down a First Order squadron with nothing but a busted X-Wing, one blaster at her hip, and a feisty Beebee unit. 

“No. Just you,” he lied. 

Kylo swallowed hard, trying to rid himself of the lump in his throat. He could see where she was, though not completely. A small window of her location framed her, the rest was a blur. She was dressed in a spectrum of grey hues, except for her dark brown boots that came to her knee. She was somewhere bright, tall thin trees swayed behind her. He could see the nose of a ship, blue and white, and a landing pad. It looked familiar. If she could see where he was, it wouldn’t matter. One First Order ship resembled another from the walls in.

Ben’s voice was low, but Rey heard the harsh edge to his tone. He was angry. Well, he could join the club. 

“I can’t do this now. Go away.” Rey hissed, looking over at Beebee-Ate. No one else could see him but she was sure the droid would notice her talking to herself like a deranged scavenger. Her heart felt stuck in her throat, her stomach like a steel weight.

Disdain. That’s all she had for him now. Good. It made this simpler. Trying to determine where she was, he tapped his datapad to show him a list of planets and moons with tropical climates. He couldn’t see any other Resistance trash with her, but that didn’t mean she was alone. He heard the rushing of waves. So the Resistance had gone to the beach. He contemplated alerting the crew to chart a course on his command once he found her, but balked at the idea of having to explain where he received his intel. 

Rey turned sharply and walked to the back of the ship. She averted her gaze. If she didn’t look at him, he would go away, she reasoned. She could spend sleepless nights contemplating what had triggered the connection again when she was safely back on Lothal. She made a concentrated effort to scan the area for scrap to repair the ship's nose but could focus on nothing but the sounds of his breathing in her ear. His hair is longer, she thought. It curled under his ears and past his jawline, further softening his features. The scar on his face had faded, but still looked savage. Her mark.

“Still here.” He said dryly. “Ignoring it doesn’t work, remember?”

“I have nothing to say to you.” 

“Yeah me neither, but here we are,” he said, trying to sound indifferent, but failing.

Rey looked up at him, made curious by his tone. He was still sitting, glancing at something in his hands she couldn’t make out. She was crouched to the ground, using the body of the X-Wing as cover from Beebee. 

_Shut him out_ , she thought. She had done it before, she knew she could again. She had hoped it was permanent. Now she was back to square one.

Kylo watched her. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips parted. He could practically see the gears turning in her head. She was trying to shut him out. He was only waiting until he got a result on her location before he did the same. His datapad showed scores of results on tropical worlds and moons, he realized it would be fruitless to look through them all.

 _I will not be the last Jedi_ , he thought, remembering Luke’s words. He scoffed. She was hardly a Jedi. He noticed that the lightsaber wasn’t at her belt. Still broken then. _I would know how to repair it_ , he thought, gritting his teeth. Now it probably sat in a pile of trash somewhere.

Beebee’s loud urgent chirps got Rey’s attention. She looked at the droid, panicking when she saw the look of startled realization on Kylo’s face. Could he hear Beebee? More importantly, could he understand him?

“Beebee, please be quiet!” Rey said but the droid was insistent. “Look at what? Up where? Beebee what--” Rey said looking up in confusion. The sky was still painted with streaks of meteorites falling from the debris field. Rey watched as one piece, much bigger than the others soared across the sky, a brilliant comet of molten metal.

It was coming straight for them.

“Beebee let’s go, get in let’s move!” Rey exclaimed, gesturing to the X-Wing. 

Beebee squealed in protest.

“Are you sure the engine would blow? Even for just a short burst?” Rey said.

Beebee chirped rapidly in the affirmative.

They couldn’t leave. They couldn’t run.

Kylo stood when he saw the look of horror spread across Rey’s face. He had never seen her look this way, not even when confronting Snoke. She was looking up at the sky, but he couldn’t see the object of her focus.

“What’s there?” he asked. “What do you see?” He could hear a droid chirping with alarm at Rey. His binary was rusty, but he understood it was telling her that the object falling would deactivate them both.

Deactivate.

Kill.

Rey ignored Ben and tried to think. She could try to blast the doors open to the loading dock with the T-70 guns and hide in there with Beebee. But what if the meteor hit the landing pad? She couldn’t lose the ship. If she did, she would be stuck in Scarif. No, she had to do something else. She only hoped she had the strength to do it. 

“Search inside yourself, Rey.”

That voice. It sounded almost like...

“Master Luke?” she whispered. She blinked rapidly, refocusing herself.

“Beebee, take cover!” Beebee rolled under the X-Wing, rocking nervously.

Jutting her hand out, she took in great gulps of air, as if she was running across the Jakku sands at top speed. She began to think _Push. Break. Move_. She pushed her entire will into the Force, begging it to work for her. She hissed out a breath between her gritted teeth as her head began to pound with the strain.

“MOVE!” She cried. The meteor slowed, but not enough to make a difference. She had a terrible thought that these were her last moments, but pushed it away and kept fighting.

Kylo watched as Rey exerted herself to exhaustion trying to stop whatever was coming directly for her. He heard the frightened chattering chirps of her droid. 

_I could just watch,_ he thought. _I could just watch and this would be over_. She would be gone. Hux would be happy, he could call off the bounty on Rey’s head, save the First Order some credits. The Resistance would be without their most powerful asset. It could all finally end here, the war, his pain and confusion.

And yet.

She was sweating, her eyes widening and narrowing with the effort, going glassy from the strain. The light from the sky began to shift, a glowing orange light illuminating her face, an ironically cheerful sort of color. He was going to watch her die...

A fierce and powerful thought overtook his mind.

“No,” he said aloud, startling himself. “Not like this,” he murmured and took a step forward.

He grabbed her wrist without thinking. This was not like Ahch-To, the halting touch of fingers, the elated rush of images. The contact sent a jolt through him. He could feel the power of the Force inside her. Suddenly, he found himself being pulled as if something had hooked in his middle, his whole body lurching forward.

Rey felt the touch of his bare hand like an electric shock. The Force, already working through her in full capacity, roared to life. The molten ball of destruction began to visibly slow in its path, pieces shearing off of it as if her Force was its own atmosphere burning the projectile to nothing.

But it wasn’t just the Force flowing from her. Kylo reached his hand out, pushing his strength at the projectile, watching pieces fly off of it as it sparked in the sky. His whole body sang with power, it was like nothing he had felt before.

Rey and Kylo kept up the barrage until the meteor faltered and fell into the water. They lowered their hands simultaneously. Panting from the effort, they turned to each other their expressions inscrutable. Kylo’s hand was still on Rey’s wrist, she felt the warmth of his touch.

Beebee-Ate’s squealing alarm shook them both out of their thoughts. They jumped apart. Rey looked at Beebee confused until she realized that he could see Kylo. Kylo was here, not back on the First Order vessel but right in front of her. She looked down, his large black boots were covered in sand.

Kylo’s body was thrumming with panic. What happened? How was he here? How would he get back to his ship? If they found the Supreme Leader’s chambers absent a Supreme Leader, Hux would waste no time exploiting the situation.

Kylo heard the frantic droid telling Rey they had to run, get away, blast him. His expression darkening, he reached his hand out to blast the droid into the ocean. Rey ran in front of Beebee placing herself between him and the droid, hand up and palm out, ignoring the blaster in her hip holster.

“NO!” she yelled, her eyes narrowed into slits.

Kylo stopped.

“He told you to shoot me,” Kylo said, keeping his voice steady though he felt anything but.

“You speak binary?” Rey asked, incredulous.

“I’m fluent enough. I do fly ships, like you,” he said. _Luke taught me_ , he thought but did not say aloud.

“Well, I won’t fight you if you leave him alone.” Beebee peeped his little head from behind Rey’s legs and chirped angrily. Kylo raised his eyebrows at the little droid’s language. It had been years since he had been around non-regulation droids, he had forgotten the kinds of colorful things they picked up from their owners. He recognized the Beebee unit as the one that he had been hunting for the map to Luke. 

“Beebee, it’s alright. Just stay behind me.”

“That’s Dameron’s droid. What’s it doing with you?” Kylo asked.

“Does that matter?” Rey said. “How are you here?”

“I know as much as you. Where is here?”

Rey thought about lying for a minute to throw him off but realized it was pointless. Neither the Resistance nor the First Order had a claim to Scarif.

“Scarif.”

Kylo stiffened in surprise.

“What would the Resistance want with a junkyard like Scarif?”

“The Resistance has no interest in Scarif,” Rey mumbled. Kylo picked up on her discomfort immediately.

“So what’s your interest in it then?” Kylo asked. He looked around, noticing the scattering of scrap and ship fragments that dotted the landscape.

“Remind you of home?” he quipped. Rey flinched at his jibe. He cocked his head, apologetic.

“It’s not important what my interest is.”

Beebee hid behind Rey’s legs wobbling back and forth with nervous energy. He began to chirp again, saying there was another shower of meteors heading this way.

“Damn. We have to get cover.” Rey said. She looked at her ship, still in disrepair.

“Don’t think about getting in that X-Wing and leaving me here,” Kylo growled.

“I would and I should. But I have a slight engine problem...”

Kylo’s self-preservation was coaxing him to take this opportunity. Rey would never be this vulnerable to him again, the way he had been on the Supremacy to her. He could show her what the dark side thought of mercy.

And yet. The Force had connected them again, this time in a way he never seen or even read about. It made him feel perhaps all the possibilities were not spent.

“Have you tried to open that loading dock?” Kylo asked.

“No, well yes, but I had some trouble,” she said warily. The entire situation felt surreal. She was half convinced that she had only dreamt of taking the X-Wing and flying to Scarif.

“Loading docks like this have their own shield generators,” Kylo said.

He stalked over to the doors, raising his hand to push them open. Rey stared for a second, but ran over and assisted him. Between the two of them, the doors moved as if they had been freshly oiled.

“Beebee,” Rey yelled over her shoulder. “Come help.”

Beebee-Ate was still affronted that Rey had not blasted this hulking monster of a human. The droid didn’t know how he had appeared from thin air, he rationalized that it was a glitch in his processing. When he had a chance, he would run a full diagnostic. He would help Rey but offer no aid to this Kylo Ren. Poe had told him enough about him.

With the dock doors fully opened, Rey and Beebee rushed in. The inside looked unscathed, somehow this small landing area had been spared the worst of these meteor showers until now. The loading dock was spacious enough for at least two X-Wings with room for cargo. Rey found the control panel for the shield on the right wall. She took a quick scan, it looked alright. The fuel for generators could last a few hundred years if it was stored correctly.

“The generator controls look good!” Rey exclaimed after Beebee confirmed everything was still operational. When she didn’t hear an answer, she turned.

He was by the X-Wing, his gaze fixed, his hands moving slightly. The ship was rolling, turning as he maneuvered it into the dock. Rey shuddered at the ease in which he moved the T-70, his brows barely furrowing as he exerted his will on the ship.

The X-Wing rolled in, Kylo followed it. Once it was fully covered, he released it with a gentle tug.

“Get the power up, there isn’t much time,” Kylo said.

Rey bristled at the authoritarian tone he took with her, but she didn’t argue. She flipped the controls and the dock power hummed to life. She activated the shield generator, a translucent blue film encompassed the dock. She could see the haze of it as she looked out the open door. She let out the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

“It’s on. We should be alright.” Rey said, walking closer to him.

“As long as nothing gets any bigger or faster than that meteor, we should be,” Kylo said. He began to close the doors with Rey’s help. They shut with an echoed clang. The auto lights flickered on with a dull yellow glow.

Kylo and Rey looked at each other. They were safe for the time being. The weight of their situation hung between them and filled the space.

Rey watched him as he scanned the equipment. She narrowed her eyes, catching on to his plan.

“Beebee is any of the communications equipment operational?” She asked sweetly. Beebee advised that there was damage to the dock’s comms antennas. 

“And before you even ask, I’m not allowing you on my ship for anything, Ben.” She smirked as he cursed under his breath.

“I told you, that’s not my name anymore,” he said, pouting.

“Well, I’m not calling you Kylo Ren.”

“You could try Supreme Leader,” he said wryly.

“Never.” 

They stared each other down until Beebee-Ate broke the tension, chirping that the worst of the meteor shower should pass in a few hours. He rolled to Rey, taking a wide arc to avoid Kylo.

Rey would not sit in uncomfortable silence for hours. She wouldn't survive it. “Well, as long as we’re stuck here. Beebee, get to work on the sensor array. I’ll work on the thruster.” Rey said, turning her back on Ben. 

Beebee loaded into the droid port and began working with the ship’s computer on the array. She grabbed the repair kit from the T-70. 

Kylo stood awkwardly, watching Rey work. He contemplated his situation. Unable and truthfully unwilling to call the First Order for help he had little recourse to find a way back to the Finalizer. He wondered why he didn’t feel more fear at the notion but shrugged the thought away.

Rey knew how to take apart and put together a vast array of ships, including X-Wings, but she had only worked with the old model T-65s. She looked over the damage to the retro-thruster again with a more discerning eye. It really had been a wonder she hadn’t lost the whole damn ship. Now up close she realized the retro-thruster was worse than she had feared. If she couldn’t fix it, what next?

She flushed with embarrassment at the possibility of having to call the Resistance for help. Even if she could reach them, the signal could be intercepted, she could put them all in danger, in addition to having the Supreme Leader of the entire First Order stuck here with her. She couldn’t deny that Ben would be a huge prize to the Resistance. Leia could see her son, the First Order would lose one of their strongest assets, it seemed silly not to contemplate it. Even if she could subdue him without blowing apart the whole dock, the thought made her queasy. Just weeks ago they had been allies. How had everything gone so wrong?

“Damn it!” Rey exclaimed, banging her fist on the side of the X-Wing.

“Is that a scavenger repair technique?” Kylo sniped. Rey glared at him but didn’t answer. Curiosity got the best of him and he walked over to the X-Wing, examining the damage. He thought about those hours spent with his father looking at every kind of ship, old and new, learning every part of them.

“I don’t think that’s something even Dameron’s droid could fix at the moment,” Kylo said, standing next to her, leaning over slightly to inspect the engine internals. He could feel her body warmth, could feel the Force buzzing around her from her frustration. It pulled him closer.

“Yes I’m aware, thank you.” Rey huffed, attuned to his close proximity. He emanated a hum of energy, like an unstable power breaker. She shook her head to clear away her recreant thoughts.

“Are you also aware you can divert the power to the other engines and still be able to fly?” He said in a sly tone, his deep voice rumbling in her belly.

Rey whirled to face him. “I’ve been taking apart X-Wings and every kind of ship you could think of since I was 7 years old. If I didn’t learn I didn’t eat. I don’t need your help!” Rey snapped, whirling back around, her cheeks flaming.

Kylo’s mouth curved into a small smile. He shrugged slightly. “Alright.”

Rey gave a loud sigh, her shoulders slumping. “I do know how to divert the power, but I’ve only worked with T-65s, not T-70s. It can’t be much different, can it?” 

‘Didn’t Dameron show you how before you ran off with one of his ships,’ Kylo wanted to snark, but held his tongue. It hadn’t taken him long to piece together that Rey was not on some top secret Resistance mission. Scarif was a dead paradise. Whatever had motivated her to come here, had been for her alone. 

“The construct does differ somewhat. I can show you,” Kylo said softly. Rey turned to look at him over her shoulder. He looked earnest in his offer. She nodded.

“Show me.”

Even with the tempest of thoughts and emotions that seemed to roil around them, Rey felt a steadiness in herself that she hadn’t had in weeks as they worked together. He explained that the damage she had sustained to the retro-thruster was the reason Dameron’s droid hadn't diverted the power to the other engines via the ship’s computer. She stifled a giggle when Beebee spouted off a slew of insults at having his abilities questioned, especially by an enemy of the Resistance.

“Beebee, it’s alright, remember I have total faith in you,” Rey said comforting the droid.

“Foul-mouthed droid, haven’t encountered one like that in years,” Kylo muttered.

“He’s one of a kind. He’d probably be a bit more friendly if you called him Beebee instead of Poe’s droid,” she chided.

“I doubt it.” Kylo ducked under the X-Wing and beckoned Rey to follow. He showed her the panel to access the engine’s wiring. Her eyes lighting with recognition, she shooed him away, working deftly to rewire the power.

He found himself watching her work, her tongue was thrust between her teeth, her brow furrowed. She glanced up and caught his eye. Cheeks flushing, he cleared his throat and walked away, heading to the nose of the ship.

“Droid-- er, Beebee,” he said, addressing Beebee-Ate, still in his port.

Beebee gave an angry chirp.

“Ok Beebee-Ate,” Kylo growled. “I’m going to repair the nose.”

Beebee advised Kylo that was perfectly acceptable, he had fixed the sensor array already and his superior programming made him adept at quick repairs no matter what an enemy of the Resistance said. Kylo smiled to himself thinking about Artoo-Detoo, who had the same feisty, arrogant streak. His uncle refused to have his mind wiped no matter how slow it made the astromech.

Kylo’s mood darkened at the thought of Luke. _See you around, kid_. He shook himself and got to work on the X-Wing, grabbing a torch and a pair of goggles from the dock supplies. 

Kylo and Rey worked in comfortable silence until it was done, the only sound the hiss of Kylo’s torch as it welded metal to metal. Beebee chirped happily when all diagnostics on the T-70 repairs checked out. Kylo looked over at Rey, her face lit in a relieved smile. She caught him looking at her, and held his gaze.

“Beebee,” Rey said, breaking the silence first, “Why don’t you get some rest, there’s a charging station there.” She pointed to a port. 

Beebee chirruped warily.

“I can handle myself Beebee, get some rest,” Rey assured him.

Beebee, too low on charge to argue, gratefully rolled to the port and powered down.

“I’m hungry,” Rey declared after a moment of awkward silence. Grabbing her bag from the cockpit of the X-Wing, she took out a couple of ration packets. Dragging a cargo box next to the ship, she sat cross-legged, ripped open a packet began to eat it so fast Kylo wasn’t sure she didn’t actually inhale it.

Rey ripped open the second pack and started on it when she noticed Kylo staring at her.

“Oh, uh, do you want some?” Rey asked, her cheeks puffed with food.

“No thank you,” he said fastidiously. With a flick of his hand, he picked up another cargo box, floating it to his feet. He sat, his movements controlled and stiff.

Rey rolled her eyes. “What, you don’t eat? It’s not so bad,” she mused, finishing the ration packet.

Kylo hesitated to answer, but took umbrage with the notion she would judge his habits.

“I don’t eat solid food,” he said curtly.

“What?” She asked, incredulous.

Kylo sighed, shifting in his seat. “It’s not encouraged in the First Order to break for long meals. Nutritive drinks are preferred for maximum efficiency. Something taken from the old Empire protocols.”

“Oh.” _No wonder he looks so wan_ , she thought. She had lived on ration packets on Jakku, sometimes portions so small it felt like eating nothing at all. But the First Order had credits and so many resources. They could go anywhere, eat anything. Instead, they starved, literally and figuratively. She looked at him sadly and couldn’t stop herself asking:

“So you, I mean you as the head of the First Order, want to continue the legacy of the Empire in every way.”

“No,” he insisted. 

Rey held her breath, recognizing the dangerous ground they were treading. She had almost forgotten they were on opposite sides of this war. Almost.

“The First Order will not repeat the mistakes of the Empire.”

“I’m pretty sure killing and murdering innocent people will always be a mistake,” Rey fumed.

“Innocent people?” Kylo sneered. “The Resistance are war criminals. They have killed thousands of First Order forces.”

Rey looked at him disparagingly, not understanding how he could treat his mother and her life’s work with such contempt. “The First Order blew up the entire Hosnian system! Billions of people died,” she retaliated. 

“That wasn’t my decision.” Kylo shot up to his feet, his body taut, he towered over her.

Refusing to be intimidated Rey stood up as well, staring him down.

“It wasn’t yours to make, but you stood by. How can you live with that? How can you reconcile anything you've done in your soul?”

“Maybe I can’t,” he shot back.

“Yet you took up the title of Supreme Leader. You felt no compunction taking charge of this disease on the galaxy!”

“I want to make things better!” Kylo exclaimed.

“Evil cannot be better!” Rey cried. 

“So, why didn’t you kill me then?” he asked, his voice low and sharp. “Why did you take pity on your enemy and leave me alive? You know what I did, what I am.”

Rey went silent and still.

“Come on. Say it. Tell me why,” he demanded.

“It’s not--it’s not up to me to decide whether you live or die yet,” Rey said quietly.

His brows furrowed. “Whose decision is it?” he asked, puzzled.

Rey looked at him, his eyes pools of pain and confusion. Rey’s breath hitched.

“The Force,” she said quietly.

It was Kylo’s turn to grow silent.

“The Force has no will, except that which you bend to your own making. Besides--if it did, I’m sure the Force has no need of me.”

“The Force moves through everyone and all things. Despite all that's happened, it's still telling me it isn’t too late. Ben. Let the Force guide you. It will tell you what to do,” Rey found herself pleading.

Kylo scoffed. He was tired of being manipulated and controlled. By Luke. By Snoke. The Force would be no different.

 _And yet, it led you to Rey_. A voice not Kylo’s own whispered in his head. Startled, he looked at her. Kylo willed himself to stay quiet, to keep the weakness inside. He failed.

“What about you?” he asked, his voice halting and quiet. “Would you accept the will of the Force so blindly? Knowing what I’ve done? What I can do?”

Rey looked down at her hands, hiding her expression from him.

“What does it matter what I think?” Rey said.

Kylo closed the distance between them. His fingers, gentle but insistent, cupped Rey’s chin and tilted her face up to his. Breathless, she looked into his deep sad eyes.

“If I were to turn my back on the First Order where would I go, Rey? If you won’t forgive me, who would? I have no desire to join another cause. If the First Order is a disease on the galaxy, so is the Resistance. The thread of conflict and misery run through them both, older than you or I.”

“It’s not the same--”

“Isn’t it? Decades old grudges taking new forms. They’ve all failed to create lasting peace. Why do you think one is better than the other?”

“Because it has to be!” Rey cried, pulling away from him. “The First Order exploits planets and enslaves children. They have made too many orphans.”

“And the Resistance recruits them.”

Rey looked at him, stung by his remark. “At least I'm free!”

“Is that what you think? I’m not free?” Kylo sneered.

“I know you aren’t. You're a slave to your pain,” she spat.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kylo growled. He stalked away from her, nearly running into the charging droid. He itched to destroy something but didn’t want to risk damaging the shield.

Rey watched him as he paced, barely containing his anger. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She was tired of fighting.

“You told me I wasn’t alone,” she lamented. “I believed you, risked everything for you. Now I feel more alone than ever. I wanted to help you, Ben. I know now, only you can choose to do what’s right.”

Kylo looked at her, stricken.

“If I do what you think is right, I will end up with nothing,” he spat, turning his back to her. He clenched his fists and angrily rubbed the tears from his eyes. 

The warm touch of Rey’s hand on his made him stiffen. She gently grasped his wrist and stood in front of him. He loosened his fist. Rey cupped his large hand in her palm. He looked at her, her clear green eyes fixed on his.

Rey felt the weight of his hand in hers, observing the sparkle of tears in his eyes. Even now, she wanted to take his pain from him, as she had wished for him to take hers that day on the Supremacy. Now she knew better. It was a burden they both had to bear. She wished she could hate him or at least be indifferent. It was too late for that.

“You won’t end up with nothing Ben. We can make something together. I believe that,” Rey said and before she could talk herself out of it stood on her tiptoes to plant a tender kiss on his plush mouth. 

Kylo froze, his first instinct to pull back and put space between them. But Rey’s lips were warm, her halted breath tickled his lips. The kiss felt like a question. He answered by sealing his mouth to hers and twining his fingers with her own. 

Warmth spread between them, their energy unified and fed into the Force. It left them both tingling and yearning for more. He reached his free hand to grasp her around the waist.

Without warning, Kylo felt the sensation of a hook pulling him from his middle as he had before when he touched Rey on the landing pad. As strangely as he had arrived, he was returned. Disoriented, he realized he was back on the Finalizer, his quarters undisturbed. He could still see Rey, looking perplexed.

It took Rey a second to realize he had somehow been transported back when she no longer felt his lips on hers. From the bewildered look on his face, he was as ignorant as her. Whatever had transpired was something beyond them for now. 

She felt bereft.

Rey looked at him, her expression resigned. He felt the connection fading. He stepped forward as if he could get back to Scarif, to her, but stopped, looking lost.

“Your mother misses you, Ben,” Rey managed to say before the connection severed and he was gone.

Watching the empty space where Rey had once been, Kylo walked backwards until his legs hit his bed. He dropped down, his body sagging, his head in his hands. He still had sand on his boots. He didn’t stop the tears that flowed.

Rey had nothing to do but wait now, the dock silent except for the soft thudding of meteors hitting the shield. Her heart heavy, she curled up on the cargo box where Ben had sat, trying and failing to get some rest. She stared at the space where he had disappeared, her mind a tempest.

A few hours later Beebee woke and advised Rey the worst of the shower had passed. She opened the sliding doors to peek outside, this time having no trouble. The meteor showers were once again distant streamers of fire in the sky. Rey sighed.

Beebee asked Rey where Kylo the Resistance enemy was.

“Come on Beebee, let’s go,” she said, not answering. 

Rey climbed into the X-Wing seat, Beebee loaded into the droid port. With a silent plea to the Force, she started the engines. They hummed to life with a soft roar, the lone engine on the left wing side working harder with the diverted force of the damaged one. 

“Beebee. Can you keep a secret?” Rey asked over the comm.

Beebee gave her a comforting chirp. He was the best droid for that, he assured her. No one had to know about the large man Kylo Ren. Rey smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Thank you, my friend.”

Rey rose into the sky, maneuvering the ship until the blackness of space greeted her once again. Once past the debris field, she activated her comm signal.

“Finn, this is Rey. I’m coming home.”

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to thank the amazing mods and betas for the RFFA project. This is my first fic anthology project I've had the guts to do and you made it possible. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who reads, sends kudos, comments. I hope you enjoy!


End file.
